赴美国留学,须知美国中学课程设置与评分体系:
1、Basic curricular structure必修课
Science 自然科学(usually three years minimum, including biology, chemistry, physics)
Mathematics 数学(usually three years minimum, including algebra, geometry, algebra II, and/or precalculus/trigonometry)
English语言 (usually four years minimum, including literature, humanities, etc)
Social Science社会科学 (various history, government, and economics courses, always including American history)
Physical education 体育(at least one year)
2、Electives(选修课)
Common types of electives include:
Visual arts (drawing, sculpture, painting, photography, film)
Performing arts (drama, band, chorus, orchestra, dance)
Technology education ("Shop"; woodworking, metalworking, automobile repair, robotics)
Computers (word processing, programming, graphic design)
Athletics (cross country, football, baseball, basketball, track and field, swimming, tennis, gymnastics, water polo, soccer, wrestling, cheerleading)
Publishing (journalism/student newspaper, yearbook/annual, literary magazine)
Foreign languages (Spanish, French are common; Chinese, Latin, Greek, German,and Japanese are less common)
3、高中GPA 举例
GPA,就是grade point average,学业平均成绩。A=4,B=3,C=2,D=1,F=0,每门课的各个任课老师给出学年ABCD后,学校把整个高中的所有科目的成绩都平均起来,得到一个值,叫做unweight GPA。
因为学校有不同等级的课,AP补助2分,Honor补助一分,regular没有补助,最后,再把这些所有补助的分数加起来,除以15,得数加到unweight GPA上,得到一个值称为weight GPA。每个学校不同,我们学校就是用weight GPA排名(class ranking),所以导致了选课的竞争。
4、学期、假期、考试
其他要点:
一年三个学期:9月初-12月中旬;1月初-3月初;3月下旬-6月初
4个假期:X’mas, Thanksgiving, Spring break, Summer vacation
SLEP:针对母语非英语的学生的语言测试
SSAT:美国中学入学测试
PSAT:SAT预考,10年级、11年级学生均可参加;美国学生参加可获得“国家奖学金”
5、美国私立中学一天的日常安排
Day schedule:
7:00-7:25 a.m.: breakfast 早餐
After breakfast, students are expected to return to their dorms, clean up their rooms, and finish their dorm jobs. Morning assembly, which is a time when students and faculty members have a chance to make announcements, begins at 8:00 a.m.
8:10 a.m. and ends at 3:00 p.m.: academic classes 上课
3:00-6:00pm: afternoon activity: athletics, music, or art
6:00pm:day students go home and boarders have a family style dinner;
After dinner-7:30pm: free time
7:30-9:30pm: upper school students study at study hall;7:30-9:00pm for middle school students;
When study hall ends, students have some free time on campus, but must return to their dorms before 10:00 p.m.
Lights out for middle school students is 10:00 p.m.; for freshmen, sophomores, and juniors, it is 10:30 p.m.; and for seniors and postgraduates, lights out is 11:00 p.m.
【更多申请条件信息请点击出国留学网相关链接】
美国高中留学选校三个准则
第一、可考虑美国教会学校
留学专家指出,美国的教会学校是由美国文化乃至西方文化的。
特点所决定的。众所周知的是,美国的民众信仰以及大部分的典故都是来源自《圣经》,而留学主要也是为了能够融入美国当地的文化,所以选择美国的教会中学是与美国社会沟通的一个最佳的桥梁。
第二、可衡量该校的学生比例及师生比例
在这里的学生比例主要是指种族之间的一个比例,留学专家表示,美国是一个移民国家,各个种族在学校里面都可以找到,这样也就是说在学生选择美国的高中时中国学生不可太多,这样对于学生的语言环境及性格的塑造是非常不利的。
第三、可根据高中所在的区域做为择校标准
在选择美国的高中时地域也可以做为择校的一个参考,据留学专家介绍,在美国的东岸文化底蕴较好,而且优质的学校也较多。而且留学专家还要提醒的一点是,学校所处的地域也是直接影响到留学的费用问题,一般较为偏远的地区学费较低生活费用也很少,所以建议资金的基础并非十分雄厚的学生申请偏远但是教育质量不错的高中就读。